Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical devices and, more particularly, to an energizable attachment for use with surgical devices to facilitate treating tissue.
Background of Related Art
An endoscopic surgical instrument typically includes a housing having a shaft extending therefrom and an end effector assembly disposed at a distal end of the shaft. An endoscopic surgical forceps, for example, includes an end effector assembly having jaw members and relies on mechanical action between the jaw members to grasp, clamp, and/or constrict tissue. Electrosurgical forceps utilize both mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to affect hemostasis by heating tissue to coagulate and/or cauterize tissue. Certain surgical procedures require more than simply cauterizing tissue and rely on the unique combination of clamping pressure, precise electrosurgical energy control, and gap distance (i.e., distance between the opposing jaw members when closed about tissue) to “seal” tissue. In some surgical procedures, it may be beneficial to use both bipolar and monopolar instrumentation, e.g., procedures where it is necessary to dissect through one or more layers of tissue, or otherwise treat such tissue, in order to reach underlying tissue(s) to be sealed or otherwise treated.